The CREO Institute was established to help individuals rediscover, nurture, and invoke their natural ability to be creative - personally, professionally, and as citizens of the world. This is the focus of our creativity workshops.

Personal Need

We all want to succeed in our lives. Whether it is as professionals, students, parents, teachers, artists, members of our communities, or in other areas of our lives, we want to make a difference and thrive. Our ability to be successful and happy in our increasingly complex world is dependent on our capacity to be reflective, flexible, and open to new ideas and perspectives. Due to the complexity of life today, many people also find themselves on a quest for deeper meaning and impact, both in their personal and work lives. By developing our creative skills, we can make improvements and positive changes in our lives and often accomplish goals that we may never before have believed possible.

Business Need

Powerful improvements in technology and economic challenges have drastically changed the business world. Companies and leaders have no choice but to redefine themselves, their approaches, their possibilities. As discussed by Thomas Friedman in The World is Flat (2005), the business world continues to experience increasing competition, globalization, and trends towards outsourcing and offshoring. This, in turn, has sparked a need for companies in developed countries to redefine the workplace skill sets required of their employees (i.e. creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills). Henry Mintzberg (2004) discusses how MBA and other education programs are failing to develop the interpersonal and creative "soft skills" in students as well as their ability to engage in the self-reflection necessary to become truly effective leaders. Organizations today are seeking individuals who have strong creative and artistic skills and, thus, the ability to approach business problems with uncommon, distinctive approaches.

The Needs of Society and the Global Community

As a global community, we are facing some critical issues: overpopulation; lack of clean and sufficient water, energy, and food resources; and environmental degradation. When we consider the extent and severity of such issues, we can no longer afford to look the other way. We need to take a stand and make significant changes immediately. Our creative skills and resources offer a means by which to find the solutions that will help us to achieve the balance between progress and taking care of the people and creatures in our world.

Our Aspiration

We want to create a common ground where people of great creativity and commitment can work and be together to make a positive impact in the world.